


across the room

by tusslee



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, accidental wingman Iggy, but not incredibly well, hinted gladnis, i just wanted something sweet tbh, some kind of AU, they know each other from school still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 20:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12350187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tusslee/pseuds/tusslee
Summary: "There's something intimate about dancing, Noct thinks."Hoping to placate his father for a night, Noct picks a familiar face out of the crowd and asks him to dance.





	across the room

**Author's Note:**

> don't ask me what timeline or what world this exists in because I have no idea. I was listening to Odesza's new Across The Room and voila~ a self-indulgent shit-shot overflowing with awkward fluff. exactly my cup of tea. I'm a little (a lottle) obsessed with these boys. forgive any grammatical errors <3

Noctis is not one for galas, he never has been, but parties, balls, (whatever his father decides to call them) are apparently standard practice when you’re royalty. 

Noct is fairly used to the crowd that gathers, usually people of importance, but often the Citadel opens its doors to commoners as well. Someone has to keep the peace and all that, right?

Tonight is one of those nights where just about anyone is welcome and the ballroom is lively with music and the soft rumble of conversation. Noct stays only because he’d been allowed to choose the music for the evening after bringing it to his father’s attention that not everyone enjoyed smooth jazz as much as he did. 

They have both a DJ and a live band, but the DJ has Noct’s own playlist that he made specifically for this evening. The music is full of soul and impossible not to dance to, Noct himself is no dancer, but his foot still taps along to the beat and he sways where he stands as he watches couples pull each other around the dance floor. There’s something intimate about dancing, he thinks. 

He watches two women spin in slow circles, heads bent close in quiet conversation and they look completely oblivious to the people around them. 

Similarly, a man and woman dance as if they’ve been doing it their entire lives, steps sure and graceful, smiles lighting their faces as they watch each other, completely lost in their own little world. 

Two men hold each other loosely, fingers intertwined and laughter that’s lost in the crowd interrupting their fond smiles. They’re clumsy and nervous looking, the one keeps flushing and Noct wonders how long they’ve known each other. 

“You’d do well to busy yourself, Noct. Your father is watching expectantly.” Ignis says from behind him. Noct isn’t sure how long he’s been standing there, but he follows Ignis’ line of sight and sighs.

“He does realize I’m an adult now, doesn’t he? When have I ever socialized at one of these things?”

Ignis pushes his glasses further up his nose as his eyes sweep around the room, “Yes, well. I believe he’s not yet given up hope like so many of us have. He wants to see you happy. I see no issues with indulging him a little.”

Noct clicks his tongue to his teeth, exasperated, “I can’t just ask _anyone_ to dance with me, Specs.” 

“On the contrary, you could ask quite literally anyone in this room and they’d gladly allow you to step all over their feet.” Ignis argues.

“I’ve had dance lessons, thank you very much.” Noct grumbles. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall, hopes he can blend in, but no dice. He can feel his father’s gaze from time to time and he _does_ want to make him happy. His health has been something to consider lately and Noct really doesn’t want to cause any more stress than necessary. If all he has to do is pretend to enjoy someone’s company for a night, he’ll survive. 

“Perhaps direct your attention across the way. A blonde gentleman has been eyeing you for a good portion of the evening. I believe he looks rather familiar, wouldn’t you say Noct?” Ignis tips his head in direction and Noct scans the crowd until his eyes land on a man who looks around his own age and yeah, he kind of does look familiar. Noct squints as he tries to place where he knows him from and then it clicks. 

“School. We went to school together. Argentum.” Noct recalls. Ignis nods and pats Noct’s shoulder.

“Very well, there you go. You won’t even have to suffer through an awkward first meeting.”

“It’ll still be awkward.” Noct insists because he’s not a smooth talker like Gladio and he can’t read a mood like Ignis so he sort of just flounders in conversation. Still, Prompto was easy to talk to in school and that would probably still be true today. He remembers him fondly, though they never became very close. “Alright,” Noct gathers himself, “entertain Gladio or something, Specs.”

“Indeed. Do try not to stomp too hard, Noct.” Ignis shoots him a tight-lipped smile when Noct rolls his eyes. 

Noct opts for rounding the outside of the room rather than trying to squeeze through the middle of far too many bodies. He keeps tabs on Prompto, who’s not hard to lose in the crowd anyway. His hair is stylishly swept up, held in place by something stronger than glue if Noct had to guess. His glasses are missing, drawing more attention to his wide blue eyes and long, pale lashes. His freckles stand out against his fair skin and even more so when his cheeks turn pink as Noct approaches. He’s foregone the jean vest Noct was accustomed to seeing him in for a pressed, powder blue button up and white waistcoat. The top few buttons have been left open with no tie to be found. He looks less stuffy than Noct feels, just the right amount of classy and comfortable. He looks good, Noct decides.

“Your Highness,” Prompto greets with a small bow.

“Uh, you don’t, I mean.” Noct has never liked formalities, but it’s something he can’t escape, apparently. “Prompto, right?”

Prompto’s retreating blush makes a comeback twice as strong and his eyes widen, “You remember me?” He squeaks.

“We, we did go to school together, didn’t we?” Noct asks, now a little unsure of himself because why wouldn’t he remember Prompto? 

“Yeah!” Prompto is visibly excited, “I didn’t think I’d made any kind of impression, though!” 

Noct rubs the back of his neck and stares at his scuffed shoes. Ignis would kill him if he saw them. “I mean, you did kind of stare a lot.” He says without thinking.

Prompto goes ridged, “Sorry!”

“No, no!” Noct wants to melt into the crowd and forget about this entirely, “I didn’t mean that like a bad thing. Lots of people stare. It’s just, like, what they do. I just, yeah. I remember you. You take pictures and stuff still?” 

“Yeah! I’m working my way on up! My shot of the capital actually made the papers last month, did you see it?” Prompto falls into conversation easily, apparently unfazed by Noct’s inability to do anything but smile and nod. 

Noct listens to Prompto talk, actually listens to him. He holds Noct’s attention easily and gesticulates to get his points across, hands moving wildly between them and eyes darting from between Noct’s own and everywhere else around the room. His smile is a near permanent thing. Noct follows his tongue when it runs along his bottom lip then shakes himself from his thoughts. 

“Hey, do you wanna dance?” He asks when Prompto takes a breath.

Prompto’s immediate shock dissolves into something more content and he nods. The tips of his ears color when Noct takes his hand. Hardly anyone spares them a second glance, the room is too crowded to pay anyone too much attention so Noct doesn’t feel overly self-conscious when he steps closer to Prompto and settles a hand on his waist. 

“I’m not much of a dancer.” Prompto warns as Noct begins to lead.

“Me either, but I know the basics. Just follow me.” He says and counts his steps in his head until they fall into an easy rhythm and he can focus on other things, like how close his nose is to Prompto’s. 

“I don’t know,” Prompto chuckles, fingers tightening against Noct’s shoulder, “you seem to know your way around the floor.”

Noct shakes his head in denial because really this is all he knows how to do. He lets the music move him and tries to relax his tense shoulders, but Prompto’s hand is warm and his eyes are sharp as they scrutinize him, running from his hair down his face and further down his chest. His tie begins to feel too tight.

“You look a little stiff.” Prompto comments, fingers sliding along his shoulder to hook in his collar.

Noct clears his throat and tilts his head, “Not a tie guy.” He admits.

“Looks good on you, though.” Prompto muses, but his fingers work the silky fabric loose until it slides from around Noct’s neck. Noct takes it and shoves it deep into his pants pocket to be forgotten about because he can breathe a little better now. 

“This is a little surreal.” Prompto laughs when Noct twirls him out then back in. 

“Why?”

“Because all through middle school and high school I just watched you from a distance and wondered how someone like _me_ could befriend someone like _you_. If I’d have known all I had to do was dance with you, we could have done this ages ago.”

“I couldn’t dance then.” Noct says, “But I would have liked for you to talk to me at least. Would have been a start.”

“I did!” Prompto sputters.

“What, like four whole times?” Noct teases, “Two of which were to ask for the notes and the other two to give _me_ the notes.”

“You _remember that_?” Prompto asks, a little dazed looking.

“I, yeah?” Noct bites his tongue. Should he not?

“ _Why_?” Prompto sounds baffled and Noct really doesn’t understand. He just does? Is it because Prompto was one of few people who could talk to him without tripping over himself? Because he was cute? Oh, he was very cute, Noct definitely remembered that.

Noct shrugs, “You were nice to me. And pretty cute too.” 

Prompto’s cheeks flame and Noct congratulates himself on being an idiot. “You really think so?”

“Yeah.” Noct breathes, nerves threatening to swallow him whole, “Yeah, I do.”

Prompto giggles. Just, giggles and presses a little closer to Noct until their chests brush and Noct is sure Prompto will feel just how erratic his heart is beating. This is a little ridiculous because they hardly know each other, but Noct feels like he’s known Prompto for a lifetime. It’s awkward, sure, but that’s because Noct wants to run his hands through pretty blonde hair and maybe kiss every freckle on his face and he isn’t sure _why_ , but he _does_. 

There’s something intimate about dancing, about being this close to someone surrounded by countless other people who are just as lost in their partner and totally consumed by the electric air between them. The tension is pleasant, though Noct can’t put a name to it. It’s like a rubber band stretched tight, one wrong move and it’ll snap. But what would be considered a wrong move, really? Prompto’s tongue swipes along his bottom lip again then his teeth follow and he eyes Noct.

Noct doesn’t know how these things work, but he’s had to listen to hundreds of Gladio’s horrendous pickup lines and he can remember exactly zero of them right now so he decides to go for it anyway and asks, “Could I take you out?”

“Out?” Prompto echoes, eyebrows shooting up. “Like, like a date?” He asks, a little breathlessly. 

“Yeah.” Noct tries not to cringe because he probably should have worded that better, but he’s not Ignis. 

“Yeah!” Prompto’s excitement fuels Noct’s own, “But, uh, why?”

Noct’s eyebrows furrow, “Because I want to? I wanna kiss you, but I think I should probably take you out first.”

“Oh.” Prompto says, the sound whooshes out on an exhale and his cheeks color beautifully. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d really like that.”

 

Across the room, Ignis peeks over Gladio’s shoulder for near the twentieth time, “Hm.” 

“Iggy, let the kid live. Apparently he’s not completely hopeless after all.” Gladio spins them so Ignis can no longer intrude on the moment. 

“So it would seem.” Ignis muses.

“Does it bother you? You’re the one who suggested he approach him, right?” Gladio observes them and the way they seem to be entirely lost to the world around them. 

Ignis deliberates and eventually sighs, “No. It does not bother me. I simply did not expect for him to be so taken in.”

“The Prince has a soft spot after all. Who knew?” Gladio chuckles to himself then pulls Ignis a little closer. “Don’t worry about it too much. The kid can take care of himself and Blondie doesn’t look like too much of a threat. Maybe this’ll be good for him.”

“I dearly hope so.” 

When they spin again, Ignis watches Noct openly laugh at something Prompto has said and though he’s still wary, he feels this could be the beginning of something good indeed.


End file.
